Casper Star-Tribune Online - Letters

"Editor:

With the impending deployment of the 115th Fires Brigade from our great state on April 19, I felt it appropriate to address some attitudes I have witnessed over the last several months from colleagues, friends, and the general public.

As a Blue Star Mother, I am extremely proud of the courage and dedication to country that my son shows while preparing for his second tour of Iraq with the Wyoming Army National Guard in the largest deployment from our state since the Korean War. Perhaps being part of the military culture has clouded my vision of how people should react when I proudly tell them that my son is preparing for a second tour. After all, there have been generations of the Cochrane family who have faithfully served their country; dating back to the Revolutionary War through Doug's grandmother's family.
I am struck by how people are so profoundly "sorry" that my son is being deployed anywhere but especially to the Middle East. I'd like to publicly clarify that this is my son's job. He volunteered to serve his country; he wasn't conscripted or coerced to swear an oath to support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic. He also swore that he would obey the orders of the president of the United States and the governor of Wyoming. I have yet to tell a friend or acquaintance that I am "sorry" that their son is an electrician, a mechanic or a school teacher, let alone a doctor or lawyer. I am extremely proud that my son is part of the less than 1 percent of our total population who has the courage and fortitude to volunteer to serve our country and defend our freedom.Yes, we should all continue to pray for peace, but in the meantime let's not forget the warrior in the midst of war. I hope that the next time a Blue Star Mother proudly tells you that their son or daughter is serving in Iraq or Afghanistan or other foreign port, you can thank that mother for her son's or daughter's sacrifice for the freedoms that we enjoy everyday and unconsciously take for granted in today's society.Godspeed to the 115th Fires Brigade. We will anxiously await your safe return in 2010! Thank you for your service to the land of the free and the home of the brave!
ALISA COCHRANE, Worland "

Casper Star-Tribune Online - Letters: